Low back pain is very common today and has most likely existed before recorded history, e.g. due to carrying a heavy kill to a cave. It is estimated that 20% of the adult population is afflicted with chronic low back pain today, and 60% of the adult population will be afflicted by chronic low back pain at some time during their lifetime.
By far the best medicine for most skeletal/muscular ailments is exercise. Physical therapists recommend stretching our muscles before we exercise. However, a person cannot exercise if he is in so much pain that he cannot get up to do the exercise.
Since low back pain is such a common problem many devices have been invented that attempt to solve it. These devices attempt to resolve this problem with all kinds of methods, including hanging upside down, bending over backwards and stretching the entire body. Most of these inventions require participation of the user and require some amount of physical exertion which puts these inventions in the class of exercise devices. These exercise devices are generally complicated and take some time to prepare the user due to the strapping of the user into the device and the adjusting of the device to fit the user.
Existing devices for relief of back pain have several other problems. Some stretching devices work by requiring one end of the user's extremities to be stationary while the other is pulled in the opposite direction. Other inventions require considerable preparation by positioning the user in contorted positions, e.g. strap on a harness, position it, adjust it, take a measurement, calibrate the equipment, and other elaborate maneuvers. Some of the inventions are motorized and/or computerized, and require the supervision of another person, e.g., a doctor or chiropractor. These inventions generally have a lot of parts and are usually expensive.
These and other problems exist. Previous attempts to solve these and other problems include the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,194, issued to Kirk Saber on Aug. 29, 2000, discloses an alignment apparatus for spinal chord of human beings comprised of a board which includes channel and channel extends along length direction parallel to edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,079, issued to Richard P. Miller on Jun. 10, 1997, discloses a self contained portable traction apparatus that has a frame with two tensile force application devices and two frames which have parallel elongate struts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,067, issued to Dennis J. Colonello on Jun. 21, 1988, discloses an exercise appliance for lower part of body having a backward curved part, a rocker part and a pelvis part.
While these patents and other previous methods have attempted to solve the above mentioned problems, none have utilized a combination of levers and squeeze panels in a portable device to target the area to be stretched.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved pelvic clamp for back stretching that addresses the above mentioned problems.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.